1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to systems for coordinating the efforts of multiple carriers to ship packages, and in particular relates to electronic systems for coordinating such shipments using tracking, billing and other information.
2. Description of Related Art
As the amount of commerce conducted by mail increases yearly, significant efforts have been made to reduce the cost of shipping mail, such as letters and packages. In one instance, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) offers a substantial reduction in rates to a shipper, provided that the shipper complies with certain requirements that allow the USPS to reduce its workload. Generally, delivery of mail entirely by the USPS requires collection, sorting and then distribution of each of the mail pieces. Reducing the workload of the USPS can therefore be aided by preprocessing of the mail pieces. For bulk mail, the USPS will accept delivery from a shipper along with certified documentation of the preprocessing results, such as by pre-sorting the mail pieces. Certification is via a manifest that is provided to the USPS and is representative of a group of the preprocessed documents.
Preprocessing for other mail services, and in particular non-bulk mail services wherein the mail pieces are not homogenous, requires more sophisticated forms of communication with the USPS. For instance, the preprocessing facilities may include computerized scales for determining the weight of each mail piece, metering devices for determining the postage amounts corresponding to the mail piece weights and marking devices for placing certification stamps on the mail piece. Each of these devices can be connected to the USPS via a telephone link that allows the USPS to interrogate the devices.
Interrogation allows the USPS systems to periodically determine the status of the equipment, including maintenance and usage rates. Such inquires allow the USPS to ensure that the equipment is giving an accurate accounting of the mail that is weighed, metered, marked and submitted to its facilities for further delivery. The telephone link may also allow the preprocessor to check on the progress of a particular piece of mail using an electronic inquiry of the USPS system. Typically, the progress check involves the use of bar coding, or some other unique identifying characteristic, placed on the mail piece by the marking devices. The bar coding can then be tracked by the USPS system at the conclusion of delivery of the mail piece by scanning the barcode on the mail piece and recording its delivery in a database.
A disadvantage of the above-described system is that the equipment and scale required for preprocessing of the mail pieces are too expensive for some shippers, especially when shipping to residential addresses. As a solution to this problem, intermediary entities have established cooperative relationships with the USPS to provide discounted shipping services.
Generally, the services provided by the intermediary include weighing of the mail pieces (packages) submitted by the shipper, labeling of the packages, sorting of the packages and submitting sorted groups of the packages to the appropriate local USPS facility. The USPS then makes the final delivery to the recipient addresses. In this manner, the intermediary can efficiently deal with the front end processes and receive the USPS discount (which is typically partially passed on to the customer) and ensure delivery without the expense of a large infrastructure for comprehensive delivery coverage including rural and residential delivery. Although the above-illustrated combined system advantageously provides cost-savings for shippers unwilling or unable to invest in preprocessing facilities, efforts at reducing the cost of shipping are continually ongoing.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved, cost-effective system for delivering packages and other mail to all known addresses. It would be further advantageous if such a system were a combined system that facilitates cooperation between multiples carriers (such as between a private carrier and the USPS) to take advantages of the strengths of each of the carriers.